A. Field of the Invention.
The embodiments of the present invention relate to an interactive speech synthesizer, and more particularly, the embodiments of the present invention relate to an interactive speech synthesizer for enabling people who cannot talk but who are familiar with use of anonym moveable picture communication to autonomously communicate using verbal language.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Non-vocal mentally handicapped persons have extreme difficulty in communicating even basic desires and needs to those who are charged with their care. This results in a great deal of frustration—both for the handicapped person and for those who care for them.
Numerous innovations for speech synthesizers have been provided in the prior art, which will be described below in chronological order to show advancement in the art, and which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the embodiments of the present invention in that they do not teach an interactive speech synthesizer for enabling people who cannot talk but who are familiar with use of anonym moveable picture communication to autonomously communicate using verbal language.
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,465 to Nelson.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,465 issued to Nelson on Aug. 14, 1984 teaches a communications device for use by severely handicapped persons having speech impairments and capable of only spastic movements. The device includes a housing in which speech reproduction apparatus is located for storing and reproducing pre-recorded audio message segments. The exterior of the housing has a nearly horizontal front portion on a console on which three relatively large—approximately 5″ times 5″—pressure-operated paddle switch actuator members are located. A vertical display panel is located immediately behind the paddle actuators and has on it visual aid cards that have a symbol identical to the recorded message that is to be reproduced by actuation of the appropriate paddle. Pressure on the selected paddle closes a switch, which turns on a light associated with the selected visual aid card and also actuates the reproduction of an audio message corresponding to the visual aid card.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,548 to Lemelson.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,548 issued to Lemelson on Jul. 21, 1987 teaches an electronic system and method employing a plurality of record sheets or cards for teaching, training, quizzing, testing, and game playing when a person interacts therewith. In one form, a record card containing printed matter is inserted into a receptacle in a support and caused to move along a guide to an operating position where its printed face may be viewed and read. As it so travels, coded information on a border portion of the card is sensed to generate coded electrical signals that are applied to effect one or more functions, such as the programming of a computer, the selection of recordings from a memory, the generation of selected speech signals and sounds thereof, the control of a display or other interactive device or devices, the activation or control of a scoring means, or the selective activation of testing electronic circuitry. In another form, one of a plurality of record cards is selectively disposed in a U-shaped receptacle or the like by hand and a coded edge portion thereof is read to generate coded electrical signals to identify the card or its printed contents. The card or sheet is predeterminately positioned on one or more selected areas thereof—which are indicated by printing—are pressed by finger to close selected switches of a plurality of pressure sensitive switches to provide signal or circuit apparatus for performing such functions as answering questions, programming computing electrical circuits, selecting recordings from a memory, activating a display generating select speech from a memory, scoring, etc.
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,919 to Tsai.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,919 issued to Tsai on Dec. 25, 1990 teaches a language practicing set that can under a recording state store voice signals by way of a voice synthesizer into a memory with different addresses through different coding holes on each of the message cards. Upon a replaying state the various coding holes on the message cards can be decoded to have the voice signal stored in various memory addresses selected and replayed through the voice synthesizer.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,533 to Wood.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,533 issued to Wood on Feb. 23, 1993 teaches a three-dimensional indicia bearing unit including a voice synthesis chip, a battery, and an amplifier/speaker for synthesizing an audible sound for educational purposes, such as an interactive method for learning to read. The audible sound produced is the name and/or associated sound of the indicia bearing unit. The indicia bearing unit may be a letter, number, or alternatively, a short vowel or a long vowel form of a letter to produce the audible sound of the phonetic pronunciation of the letter. A plurality of unique indicia bearing units—organized in a selected sequence—form a set retained in a book like holder. The chip, battery, and amplifier/speaker may be self-contained within each indicia bearing unit. Alternatively, the indicia bearing unit may have a book configuration with several three-dimensional letters or numbers in a fixed or removable configuration, with the chip, battery, and amplifier/speaker being contained within the book-like unit. The removable three dimensional letters or numbers act as an electrical contact switch or have individual radio frequency transmitters sending a dedicated radio frequency signal to a receiver contained within the indicia bearing unit to activate the voice synthesis chip and produce an audible sound represented by the applicable indicia.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,610 to Godfrey et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,610 issued to Godfrey et al. on Jul. 18, 1995 teaches an educational device for children to accelerate learning from recognition, language acquisition, awareness of cause and effect, and association. The device houses discrete photos of environmental people, animals, and/or inanimate objects recognizable to the child, with each photo being operatively connected to a discrete pre-recorded message, such that upon a photo being pressed, the discrete and corresponding pre-recorded message is played. The child's learning is accelerated by repetitive use of the device.
(6) U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,283 to Stendardo et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,283 issued to Stendardo et al. on Sep. 17, 1996 teaches an electronic learning system utilizing a plurality of coded cards on which sensory-information representations are provided to present pictorial-symbol information and/or language-symbol information. A housing contains card slots in combination with a visually and functionally distinctive button associated with each individual card slot and a button associated in an equal manner to all card slots, with a card being insertable in each of the card slots. The operator can cause the system to generate unique audible information associated with the sensory-information representation provided on any selected card by pressing the visually and functionally distinctive button associated with the card slot in which the card is inserted. The operator can also cause the system to generate—automatically and sequentially—unique audible information associated with the sensory-information representation provided on each inserted card, and depending on the type of cards installed, perform secondary functions as the individual cards are being accessed, such as mathematical computations, pattern recognition, and spelling accuracy, by pressing the visually and functionally distinctive button associated in an equal manner with all card slots, after which automatic tertiary functions take place, such as: the accuracy of the result of mathematical computations are accessed and an audible message is generated; an audible message equivalent to the combination of the installed cards is generated; and the accuracy of the spelling of words formed by individual cards is determined and an audible message is generated.
(7) U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,119 to Sharpe III et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,119 issued to Sharpe III et al. on Dec. 22, 1998 teaches an interactive electronic graphics tablet utilizing two windows—one large window for the insertion of a standard sheet of paper or other material allowing the user to draw images on the paper and another smaller second window. A cartridge having various icons—such as animal images—is clicked into place in the smaller window. The device is configured such that the paper overlays a touch sensitive pad. Operation allows the user to assign any cell of the drawn page corresponding to XY coordinates to particular sounds correlated to the icons in the smaller second window by touching respective locations and icons.
(8) U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,485 to Linebarger et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,485 issued to Linebarger et al. on May 30, 2000 teaches a computer-operated system for assisting aphasics in communication. The system includes user-controlled apparatus for storing data representing the user's vocalizations during a time interval, apparatus for associating the data stored in each of a plurality of such intervals with an icon, apparatus for ordering a plurality of such icons in a group representing a speech message, and apparatus for generating an audio output from the stored data represented by the icons in the group so as to provide a speech message.
(9) U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,706 to Rehkemper et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,706 issued to Rehkemper et al. on Feb. 25, 2003 teaches an electronic picture book including a plurality of pages graphically depicting or telling a story. The book further includes an LCD screen and a speaker to provide a reader with animation sequences and sounds relating to the graphical pictures on the pages. A set of buttons is provided to trigger the animation sequences and sounds. While reading the book, each page indicates a button to depress. The reader—depressing the correct button—is then provided with animation sequences and sounds indicative to the graphic representations on the page.
(10) United States Patent Application Publication Number 20020193047A1 to Weston.
United States Patent Application Publication Number 20020193047 A1 published to Weston on Dec. 19, 2002 teaches a playmate toy or similar children's toy having an associated wireless, batteryless ID tag readable from and/or written to using a radio-frequency communication protocol. The tag is mounted internally within a cavity of the toy and thereby provides wireless communication of stored information without requiring removal and reinsertion of the tag. In this manner, a stuffed animal or other toy can be quickly and easily identified non-invasively without damaging the toy. Additional information—e.g., unique personality traits, special powers, skill levels, etc.—can also be stored on the ID tag, thus providing further personality enhancement, input/output programming, simulated intelligence, and/or interactive gaming possibilities.
(11) United States Patent Application Publication Number 20040219501 A1 to Small et al.
United States Patent Application Publication Number 20040219501 A1 published to Small et al. on Nov. 4, 2004 teaches an interactive book reading system responsive to a human finger presence. The system includes a radio frequency scanning circuit, a control circuit, a memory, and an audible output device. The RF scanning circuit is configured to detect the presence of the human finger when the finger enters an RF field generated by the RF scanning circuit. The control circuit and the memory are in communication with the RF scanning circuit. The memory stores a plurality of audible messages. The audible output device is also in communication with the control circuit. The audible output device outputs at least one of the audible messages based on an analysis of the RF field performed by the control circuit when the finger enters the RF field.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for voice synthesizers have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the embodiments of the present invention as heretofore described, namely, an interactive speech synthesizer for enabling people who cannot talk but who are familiar with use of anonym moveable picture communication to autonomously communicate using verbal language.